Owl good now: McCandless cop frees animal trapped in family's badminton net

An officer from McCandless spent a recent morning performing an interesting rescue.

Officer Todd Ray received a call that a great horned owl was trapped.

“It was an unusual type of call. We never know what to expect,” Ray said.

It was McCandless resident Janine Solomond’s dog, Gilligan, who found the bird impossibly tangled in the family’s badminton net.

Solomond called the McCandless Police Department, with Ray responding.

“Initially, when I got there, I’m looking at this owl and he’s looking straight at me. It looked somewhat worn down. Both talons were tied together, and it was caught beneath his left wing,” said Ray, a McCandless officer for 27 years.

Ray called the Pennsylvania Game Commission, but it wasn’t able to send anyone for a few hours. Because it already was about 8 a.m., Ray knew he had to take matters into his own hands.

“I didn’t want hurt him further, and I wanted to do the right thing,” he said, asking the homeowners for scissors.

So he started to carefully cut away the net. He initially donned gloves for the task but found they were too bulky while handling the scissors.

Ray removed them, wrapped a towel around his arm and got to work.

Solomond watched with her daughters, Naomi, a nurse, and Zoe, a freshman at Kent State University. They kept Gilligan inside and calm while Ray addressed the situation.

Solomond said it took about 45 minutes to fully remove the netting. Ray was so focused on the task, she said it seemed like he was performing surgery.

“It was very slow, laborious work. He kept at it. The owl just let him work at it,” Solomond said.

It was tedious work, but Ray continued to lie next to the bird and cut away at the net until he freed its legs.

“He was clenching my one finger tightly. It was like he knew I was there to help him — and also being worn out. It definitely was a first for me,” Ray said.

Eventually, he freed the bird, which flew off under a nearby playset for a short rest before taking off.

Solomond was so touched by the effort that she gifted Ray a framed photo of him with the owl as he was working on it.

“People need to know how good the cops are,” said Solomond, a teacher at Aquinas Academy in Hampton. “It shows you they’re real people that will go above and beyond. It would’ve been so sad to see that bird die.”

This isn’t the first time the officer responded to a call about an animal in distress. Several years ago, Ray said he helped to free a raccoon with a plastic bottle stuck on its head.

A dog owner for more than 30 years, Ray admits he has a heart for animals.

“Officer Ray is an asset to our police department, for sure,” said McCandless police Chief Ryan Hawk.

“Our officers respond to quite an array of emergency calls on a daily basis. When residents aren’t sure who to call for a problem, but they know something is wrong, they dial 911 and they get us. Hence, the definition of ‘first responders,’ ” Hawk said.

The officers get their share of 911 calls involving wild animals such as deer, raccoons and the like. As far as domestic animals, they also get quite a few calls involving dogs, he said.

“We endeavor to be trained, or at least prepared, for just about anything. And, although that is impossible, I believe a police officer is a special human being that develops a skillset to handle such a wide variety of situations that it is truly impressive when I see it firsthand. I am humbled by the work that my officers do in the community every day,” Hawk said.

Ray took the appropriate steps by first contacting the state Game Commission because, he said, “you’re in their territory” and it’s important to be careful.

Andy Harvey, a state game warden, agreed, saying homeowners should contact them if they encounter a similar situation.

Harvey noted it’s “not uncommon” for birds, such as an owl, to get tangled in a net. Owls are nocturnal birds and mostly not dangerous, but their talons can be very sharp. The larger the bird, the larger the talon and stronger the grip, he said.

Residents who encounter a wild animal in need of help can call the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, at 877-877-7137.